"In this vast and boundless multiverse, many secrets are hidden, and you... are one of them..."
—The man in black robes
The evening breeze rustled through the trees, leaves falling and withering instantly...
A figure stood beneath the tree, watching the withering leaves fall. He slowly raised a hand, and a withered leaf landed in his palm.
The figure gently cradled the withered leaf, his fingers lightly touching it. The leaf's reflection slowly appeared before him.
The figure's face was blurred; no one could see his expression. He simply set the leaf down, turned, and vanished into the void.
Meanwhile, on Taga's side...
Taga stood before the gate, gazing at the heavy stone door before him, its surface inscribed with various runes.
Taga stared at the stone door before him, a weight that seemed to weigh heavily on his fate, as if a boulder had been placed upon him. Yet, his expression remained unchanged; he accepted everything with equanimity.
Taga raised his hands and forcefully pushed open the stone door. The door slowly swung open, and the dust that had accumulated on it gently crumbled away.
The sound of the door opening echoed throughout the ruins, revealing an exquisitely beautiful scene inside.
A ray of weak sunlight shone on the colossal stone statue standing in place, surrounded by various plants and small animals. The statue held aloft a sphere brimming with energy in its hands.
Syl followed Taga into the stone doorway, and upon seeing the scene, he too was stunned.
"So beautiful! How can this place be so beautiful!" Syl exclaimed, his eyes shining as he looked around, his words brimming with excitement.
Taga looked around seriously, seemingly searching for something.
"What are you looking for?" Syl tilted his head, looking at Taga with a puzzled expression. He didn't understand why Taga was so serious.
"Nothing, I'm just worried about traps or something…" Taga smiled at Syl and slowly walked forward to look at the statue.
The statue was blurry, but it wore a strange robe and held a sphere in its hands. The sphere emitted a shimmering light, and gentle energy swirled around it.
Taga looked at the statue, and he had a feeling that the statue's depiction resembled himself, but he couldn't see the face, so he dared not make a judgment.
"Taga! Come here! There's something written on this wall!" Syl called out to Taga, gesturing for him to come over.
Taga turned and walked over to the wall. He looked up at the writing on the wall—strings of ancient characters carved into it. "Syl, do you know what these words mean?" Taga turned to Syl, who was currently studying them intently, chin in hand.
"If I'm not mistaken… it says something like, 'A time traveler from another timeline saved the world! He also showed me the power of different worlds! I am truly grateful to him!'" Syl explained the meaning after reading the text.
"A time traveler from another timeline?" Taga looked at the text, puzzled, then turned back to the statue.
"That's right… but I don't quite understand this time traveler… there's no record of it in any literature…" Syl frowned at the text, as he had never seen any literature mention time travelers.
Taga stared at the sphere in the statue's hand. A voice in his head seemed to be guiding him to take the sphere, and the sphere itself seemed to be drawing him in.
Taga walked to the statue, gazing at the towering figure in deep thought.
"Taga, what are you thinking about?" "Syl walked over and asked, following Taga's gaze to the sphere in the statue's hand.
"Why are you looking at that?" Syl tilted his head in confusion, not understanding why Taga was staring at the sphere.
"A voice in my head keeps telling me to take the sphere..." Taga said seriously, looking at the statue.
Taga then pushed off with his foot, the ground beneath him shattering, and Taga instantly sprang onto the statue. His hand gripped the statue's shoulder, and he slowly climbed up.
Taga walked slowly, reaching the statue's palm. Looking at the sphere floating in the statue's hand, he gently touched it.
The originally enormous sphere shrank to the size of Taga's palm the instant he touched it. Taga carefully cradled the sphere in his hand and leaped down from the statue's palm.
The space around Taga trembled violently the moment he landed.
"You got it?" Syl stared at the glowing sphere in Taga's hand, unconsciously touching it. Instantly, energy surged into Syl's body like a tidal wave, a comfortable flow coursing through him.
"Let's go, we've got the sphere, we can leave!" Taga's voice was filled with joy, for he was thinking that with this, perhaps he could resurrect Tina, perhaps he could return to his former life.
Just as Taga was thinking this, a tentacle suddenly emerged from the darkness, lashing out and striking Taga. Before he could react, he was flung a distance away and slammed into a statue.
"Taga!" Syl cried out in alarm. Suddenly, a thick arm gripped Syl's neck with one hand and slowly lifted him up.
The dust-filled mist dissipated, and Taga slowly stood up. He slowly opened his eyes, and before him stood his enemy!
"The Chosen One! The Chosen One! How did you end up in such a sorry state?" A polite yet sinister voice reached Taga's ears. The speaker was Distortion, and the figure standing beside him, choking Syl and lifting her high, was the indistinct Rhazoth.
"You bastard! Let Syl go!" Taga roared, instantly lowering his body and bursting forth with incredible speed towards Rhazoth, who was choking Syl.
Distortion grinned maliciously, then a tentacle grabbed Taga's ankle and hurled him far away!
Taga couldn't react in time and was thrown deep into the corridor, his body slamming heavily against a pillar. The pillar instantly cracked and collapsed.
Taga coughed up a mouthful of blood, spitting it onto the ground before slowly standing up.
Distortion then slowly approached Taga, D... Distortion maintained an elegant, nonchalant, and arrogant demeanor as he watched Taga, his expression unchanged.
Taga watched Distortion approach, his eyes filled with murderous intent and anger, yet he rationally considered his options; he didn't want Syl to suffer too much harm.
At that moment, the armlet on Taga's arm began to glow. Taga looked at the armlet with suspicion, and Rrrovax, transforming into the armlet, instantly glowed and wrapped around Taga's hand. The glowing energy then materialized into two short blades.
"Rrrovax? You can even do that? You're really good at hiding your moves..." Taga sighed helplessly as he assumed a fighting stance, looking at Distortion.
"Oh? So confident now that you have weapons? You're incredibly naive!!" Distortion instantly extended multiple tentacles, stabbing towards Taga.
Taga watched the tentacles attack, slowly closing his eyes. His mind began to replay all the combat techniques he had ever learned.
The surrounding scenery seemed to slow down. Taga exhaled heavily, and lightning crackled around him. He saw his opponent's every move.
Taga stomped his foot, unleashing incredible speed, leaving afterimages. Holding his twin blades, Taga leaped and spun, severing one of the attacking tentacles.
The severed tentacle writhed wildly on the ground.
"Oh? Interesting! You've finally become interesting!" Distortion immediately summoned more tentacles to attack Taga, while the severed tentacles rapidly regenerated, becoming entirely new ones.
Taga, however, calmly wielded his dual blades. Every move he made was the result of rigorous training; each strike, each dodge, was the result of countless injuries and moments of growth and refinement.
In an instant, Taga was in front of Distortion. His speed was so fast that Distortion barely had time to react. Just as Taga was about to swing his blades to decapitate Distortion...
A powerful beam of energy struck Taga, sending him flying!
The source of this beam was Rhazoth! He was currently holding Syl in one hand, using the other to summon the beam to attack Taga.
"This is interesting... You keep an eye on him... I want to play with the Chosen One!" Rhazoth then tossed Syl towards Distortion, followed by a fist bump. Distortion immediately grabbed Syl with its tentacles.
"Taga...good luck..." Syl, unable to breathe due to the choking, was weak but still encouraged Taga.
Distortion then summoned tentacles to gag Syl and watched the scene unfold.
Taga slowly stood up, trembling all over. He hadn't expected the attack to be so powerful, and a sense of dread, an ancient fear, seemed to creep over him, as if a demon was about to devour him.
Taga gritted his teeth, then slowly raised his eyes, staring intently at the ancient being standing opposite him.
He knew his opponent was powerful; he couldn't defeat him with pure combat skills, but rather with strategy.
As Taga was thinking this, Rhazoth slowly raised his palm again, and the pupil in his palm emitted an eerie light.
Suddenly, a powerful beam of energy shot out from Rhazoth's pupil, heading straight for Taga.
Seeing the powerful energy beam rushing towards him, Taga quickly dodged to the side, the beam grazing his face.
Taga slowly turned his head to look in the direction the energy beam had passed, and his pupils widened in shock.
Upon closer inspection... the entire wall of the ruins had been instantly blasted through, and the energy had even pierced through the mountain that enveloped the ruins, letting in warm sunlight.
Taga turned to attack, but Rhazoth had already teleported in front of him. Taga tried to raise his twin blades to block, but Rhazoth was faster, instantly throwing a punch that struck Taga in the face.
Cracks instantly appeared on Taga's face, the sound of bones shattering echoing throughout the ruins. Taga was sent flying.
Taga was slammed into the wall by a punch, instantly lifeless... He slowly lowered his head.
"Let's go~ We haven't finished our business yet~" Distortion, leaning against the wall, spoke, his tentacles gripping the unconscious Syl.
"Let's go..." Rhazoth said, turning to pick up the fallen sphere, which slowly transformed from a gentle white light into an eerie black glow.
At this moment, Taga...
"Am I...I'm dead..." Taga slowly raised his hand, examining his palm closely.
"Yes! I have to go save Syl!" Taga turned away, but all that answered him was emptiness and darkness.
"Damn it! I can't do anything!" Taga slammed his fist on the ground, his voice filled with self-blame, anger, and a hint of sorrow…
"What should I do… what… what should I do…" Taga slowly sat down, his voice utterly powerless…
Just then, Taga felt someone pat his shoulder. He turned around.
"Sir…" Taga's lips slowly curved into a smile. He smiled; he saw hope!
"Sir, please… save Syl! I… can't do it…" Taga turned around and tightly gripped the robe of the person in front of him.
"Taga… you can't always rely on me… you must rely on yourself…" the man in the black robe said softly.
Hearing this, Taga slowly raised his head, looking at the man in the black robe with pleading eyes.
"Taga! I am not omnipotent! There are many times when I am powerless! But if you always rely on others, you will never become strong! You will never be able to protect what you want to protect!" the black-robed man shouted, feeling a surge of anger at Taga's overly self-reliant attitude.
"Find your own heart! Find the right path!" the black-robed man shouted before turning and disappearing into nothingness.
Taga watched the departing black-robed man, feeling ashamed. He had relied so heavily on the person he admired most, yet he hadn't even considered relying on himself.
Taga slowly closed his eyes, and instantly, an energy form in his likeness appeared before him. Taga raised his hand and touched the "himself" before him.
Instantly, the energy surged into his body like a tidal wave!
Rhazoth and Distortion, who were just about to leave, holding the sphere, suddenly felt a powerful energy fluctuation.
They turned together to look at the source of the energy—it was…Taga!
At this moment, Taga was radiating blue light as a massive amount of energy slowly lifted him into the air, the energy gradually dissipating from his body.
Taga stood before Rhazoth and Distortion. Upon closer inspection, Taga's previously shattered face had been completely repaired, and strange tattoos emanated from it, radiating energy.
"Oh? It seems the chosen one is truly favored by the Creator God..." Rhazoth turned to look at Taga, a surge of excitement rising within him. This was the first time he had ever seen the Creator God so attentive to a skeleton.
Taga looked at Rhazoth without further ado, and with a light stomp of his foot, the entire ruins' ground cracked instantly!
Taga charged towards Rhazoth, his twin blades glowing blue as he swung them.
As Rhazoth dodged, Taga twisted the hilt of his blade, then turned and slashed a long scar across Rhazoth's cheek.
Rhazoth touched his slashed face, then looked in Taga's direction, but upon closer inspection, Taga had vanished! In that instant, the wound he had inflicted healed instantly.
Taga didn't want to linger with Rhazoth. As he slashed Rhazoth, he unleashed his speed and charged towards Distortion.
Distortion didn't even have time to react before Taga swung his twin blades, severing the tentacle gripping Syl. Blood splattered as the tentacle was severed, and Syl plummeted from the height.
Taga seized the opportunity, leaping up to catch Syl and rolling on the ground to cushion the fall.
"Alright, stop wasting time! You should have completely corrupted the 'Heart of Truth' by now, right!" "Distortion turned to Rhazoth and shouted, while Rhazoth gripped the sphere tightly in his hand.
Seeing Distortion's expression, Rhazoth nodded, then raised his hand and crushed the sphere!
Instantly, the entire earth trembled! The sky cracked open like shattered glass, crimson lines instantly filling the entire universe...
The earth split open, magma erupted, space distorted, and the entire universe teetered on the brink of collapse!
Taga held Syl tightly in her arms! Rhazoth and Distortion, standing opposite them, watched Taga with amusement. Then, a spatial rift appeared behind them, and they turned and stepped into it!
Taga wanted to chase after them. The earth trembled violently, causing him to lose his footing; the entire universe trembled!
Instantly, the entire universe shattered! Taga clung tightly to Syl, the space beneath his feet cracking open, and he plummeted into darkness.
In the darkness... Taga looked around at the mirrored space... He saw countless different worlds... all sorts of scenes... appearing before his eyes like beautiful animations...
At this moment, their time seemed to stand still... their speed slowed... the laws of the universe ceased to exist...
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Taga's clothes, and instantly Taga was transported to a strange fragment...
"My head... it hurts so much..." Taga slowly sat up, clutching his forehead.
"Are you alright?" A hand reached out, and a familiar voice reached Taga's ears. He slowly raised his head... He saw a familiar figure... the person he had longed to see...
Meanwhile, in the cosmic rift...
Rhazoth and Distortion stood with their armies in the cosmic timeline, watching Taga's movements.
"Very good!" "The first step of the plan is complete!" Distortion's sinister smile remained chilling...
"Now, shouldn't we fulfill the conditions you promised me?" Rhazoth looked at Distortion; they seemed to have already signed a deal.
"Of course! I will assist you in fulfilling your dreams and conditions, because you are one of the few who share my thoughts! And now... we need a pawn..." Distortion slowly raised his palm, clenching his fist tightly, like a god, ruling over all...
At this moment, in a blank space...
Another leaf fell from a tree... and a blurry figure in a robe raised his palm, a withered leaf drifting onto it.
"You never belonged here... but you will witness the truth of everything..." the blurry figure spoke slowly...
The multiverse... is about to open!